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Gov. John Kasich and Ed FitzGerald see their personal finances make headlines. Sharen Neuhardt has some interesting things to say about her running mate. And Cleveland and Cincinnati prepare for their close-ups. Here is your Ohio Politics Roundup.

Months ago in the race for governor, the Ohio Republican Party drew attention to Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald’s lack of personal investments – something that GOP leaders characterized as a sign of inexperience and irresponsibility.

The basis for the attack? Financial disclosure forms going back five years with the Ohio Ethics Commission that showed FitzGerald held no investment worth more than $1,000.

The latest reports are in, writes Darrel Rowland of the Columbus Dispatch. And true to form, FitzGerald once again has no portfolio of note. The probable Democratic challenger to Gov. John Kasich also owes at least $1,000 to five credit cards and to Ford.

On the gift front, look for Democrats to seize on the governor’s “unspecified travel, meals or lodging” from JobsOhio, the privatized state development agency Kasich championed. There’s also a gift to Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor from Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, a fellow Republican whom Democrats like to compare with Kasich.

Kasich watch

The first ad of the 2014 campaign is on air – and not surprisingly, it comes from Kasich and his super-stuffed war chest. We told you Tuesday about “Deliver.” Here’s what others are saying and writing about the governor’s 60-second biographical spot.

University of Akron political scientist John Green, in an interview with Ideastream’s Brian Bull: “It’s interesting that he doesn’t mention the Democrats, he doesn’t mention his presumptive opponent, but he also doesn’t mention Republicans!”

Ohio GOP Chairman Matt Borges: “A great ad.”

Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern: “Anytime you have an incumbent elected official who is spending money this early, it tells you there may be a problem.”

The bosses spoke with Chris Vanocur and Ken Hines of WTTE Channel 28 in Columbus.

And while Kasich’s ad highlights his blue-collar background, it makes no mention that the childhood imagery comes from Pennsylvania, not Ohio. Then again, FitzGerald grew up in Indianapolis, leading the Dispatch’s Joe Vardon to an interesting nugget. The last time the top candidates for governor were not Ohio-born was in 1998, when Boston-born Bob Taft faced off against Michigan-born Lee Fisher. Taft, raised in Cincinnati, won.

Kasich wasn’t the only Republican governor debuting an ad Tuesday. Wisconsin’s Scott Walker, a potential rival for the GOP presidential nomination in 2016, is on the air with his first re-election spot, report Emily Schultheis and Jose DelReal of Politico.

Neuhardt, FitzGerald’s choice for lieutenant governor, has been hitting the campaign trail. In Appalachia, she described FitzGerald as “incredibly cheap,” reports Matt Lucas of the Pike County News Watchman. (Neuhardt means it as a compliment.)

Cleveland, one of six cities still vying for the 2016 Republican National Convention, will receive a “technical visit” April 30 – making it the final stop for site-selectors before the list is narrowed again, reports Robert Higgs of the Northeast Ohio Media Group.

Ohio’s other finalist, Cincinnati, gets its visit a day earlier, notes Sharon Coolidge of the Cincinnati Enquirer. After this round, remaining cities will receive closer looks.

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